Don’t fear the water

Thursday is my favorite day of the week. I quickly get the kids ready for bed, put on my jammies and settle down to watch Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. Grey’s is an old friend in my house – if I have to take a call or let it roll over to DVR, I’m not troubled. On the other hand, I have to watch Scandal as soon as it airs. I must know what happens next! It is that freakin’ addictive!

Last week, one of the subplots revolved around professional killer Huck, having an odor. We later found out that due to a recent traumatic event involving water, things like rain and taking a shower were just too much for him to handle. He had developed PTSD.

This got me to thinking about writers. I know many that after getting no responses or horrible responses from their first novel, shy away from doing anything else. One writer friend of mind, will shut you down immediately for bringing up the subject. I really believe I saw her eye twitch. She has rejection based PTSD. It saddens me because I think the world is now going to miss out on her talent, and she is going to miss out on sharing her gift.

When it all boils down, not everyone will like your work. You will have some pieces on a special shelf or in a drawer that may never see the light of day. That’s okay. Those works are for you. Did they make you happy? Did you quiet those voices? That’s all that matters.

Now a Scandal quote to wrap this up: “Huck: [to Quinn] I used to live in a box outside the Metro and before that I dismembered people for a living. Right now I smell. When the rain stops I won’t smell. I’m fine.”

There will always be storm. We will go through our bad days but realize that the sun will eventually shine and our fear will go away. Rejection happens. The only way to get over it is to keep writing.

Check out other blogs participating in the “I Don’t Like Mondays” blog hop: